North State in Brief: Feb. 7, 2012

A 20-year-old Montgomery Creek man was arrested early Monday after Redding police say they caught him burglarizing a downtown business.

Just after 2:30 a.m. police were sent to an auto-detailing shop on the 1100 block of Center Street where a commercial burglary alarm was sounding. They found the man leaving the front door with some of the property from inside, police said.

The man ran from police toward the back of the building, but officers caught him and arrested him.

The man, Sonny William Montgomery, later admitted to burglarizing the business, police said.

He was booked into Shasta County jail on suspicion of burglary, receiving stolen property, possessing burglary tools and obstructing police. Bail was set at $35,000.

Redding cyclist in serious condition

A Redding man remained in serious condition Monday after being hit while on his motorcycle Sunday by a man driving a car on Highway 44 in Redding, a nursing supervisor at Mercy Medical Center said.

Clifton lost control of the motorcycle and was thrown from it, CHP officers said. He was then taken to Mercy for treatment of major injuries.

Clifton almost certainly would have been more severely injured had it not been for his helmet, officers said.

On Friday, Jeffrey Buck, 44, of Redding, was wearing an unfastened helmet that fell off when his motorcycle crashed on Hartnell Avenue, killing him.

Transient pleads not guilty in assault

A 20-year-old Redding transient accused of repeatedly stabbing his tent mate on Saturday during an argument pleaded not guilty to assault Monday in Shasta County Superior Court.

Ray Dakota Scholfield, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, was charged by the district attorney's office with assault with force causing great bodily injury, as well as an enhancement alleging he has a prior "strike" conviction.

Scholfield's $500,000 bail was reduced to $250,000.

Jack Hodges, 46, told police he was drinking with Scholfield when they began arguing, police have said.

Hodges claims Scholfield pulled out a knife without warning and stabbed him three times while yelling, "I'm gonna kill you," police have said.

Hodges was able to run to the Hen House bar, where employees called 911. Hodges was bleeding in the parking lot from stab wounds in his left chest, left arm and left shoulder, police have said. Scholfield, who told police he acted in self-defense, was found in brush near a homeless encampment where he and Hodges shared a tent.

Scholfield is being represented by the public defender's office and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Feb. 22.

Hodges was in fair condition Monday at Mercy Medical Center in Redding.

Chase suspect had 8 arrest warrants

Shasta County sheriff's deputies Monday said a 31-year-old man with eight outstanding arrest warrants and a history of running from law enforcement led them on a high-speed chase Sunday from south of Redding to Anderson.

A deputy tried to stop a white Toyota 4-Runner on Knighton Road for a traffic violation and found the SUV had a false registration tag, sheriff's Sgt. Jason Gassaway said. When the deputy turned on his emergency lights, the driver of the SUV ran a red light and turned onto Churn Creek Road, Gassaway said.

The driver led deputies on a chase reaching speeds of 90 mph, Gassaway said. During the chase the driver threw a gun into the Sacramento River and drove north in southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Factory Outlets Drive, he said.

A dive team later found the gun off the North Street Bridge in Anderson, Gassaway said.

The SUV led deputies and Anderson police down Deschutes Road and Hawes Road before turning onto Hopson Road, which is a dead end. The driver rammed the sheriff's and police cars before stopping, Gassaway said.

The driver, Justin Fischbach, was arrested on suspicion of failure to yield, assault with a deadly weapon, driving on a suspended license and the warrants. He's being held in Shasta County jail in lieu of $355,000 bail.

Gassaway said Fischbach has a history of running from police. He said in November Fischbach fled from officers on a motorcycle, ultimately crashing on Loftus Road near Anderson.

He was carrying methamphetamine and a loaded gun at the time, deputies said.

Less than two weeks ago he was involved in another chase in Anderson, where deputies arrested him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of ammunition, Gassaway said.